The idea of growing plants in single file, “row crops” started when the horse and plow needed space between rows to cultivate crops in a large scale. Later, row spacings were widened to accommodate tractors and their implements. Out of habit, many home gardeners plant single file vegetable gardens in their backyards either for hobby or out of need to grow food for their family. However, row cropping has many disadvantages for the home gardener. A major disadvantage is the space required to raise such a garden. Many home owners only have a small amount of land to dedicate to growing a home garden, and therefore must limit the amount of crops that are grown. Another disadvantage relates to soil compaction. Plant roots need air. In an ordinary row crop garden, the gardener cannot avoid stepping between the rows to maintain the garden. This foot traffic on each side of a single row can severely compact the soil, thereby reducing the air that reaches the roots, impeding plant growth and reducing production. Thus, row crop gardening is not practical for many home owners.
Raised bed gardens have been in use for centuries. Permanent beds, raised a few inches above the soil level and arranged just wide enough to reach across by hand, are an ideal way to grow vegetables and small fruit. Several rows of vegetables can be grouped together in a bed with a walkway on either side. Raised bed gardens can range from a simple rectangular plateau of soil to a more elaborate bed paneled in wood or stone and mortar. Although, the permanent structures are more expensive and time consuming to build, permanent structures keep the soil in place during heavy rains and may provide an appealing appearance to the landscaping.
Raised bed gardens have several advantages over row crop gardens. For example, a properly designed raised bed garden allows most or all of the gardening to be accomplished from around the perimeter of the raised bed, minimizing or eliminating soil compaction. Plants can be spaced closer together in a raised bed because there is no need to step on or run equipment between the rows of plants. This increases productivity per square foot of bed and reduces weed growth when plants begin to mature. Raised beds tend to drain away excess moisture better than ordinary gardens. This is another advantage that helps the plant roots to breath. Soil conditions and types can be controlled more efficiently in a raised bed and they can be varied easily from bed to bed. Water, fertilizer, compost, mulch, etc. can be applied more carefully because they only need to be applied to the garden beds. Raised garden beds can extend the gardening season. They tend to warm up sooner in the spring and remain productive later into the fall. Raised garden beds are also convenient for the gardener. They reduce stooping and bending and many can be weeded from a stool or garden wagon with a seat board.
However, state of the art raised plant beds include their own set of drawbacks. Raised garden beds are often made from treated lumber, railroad ties, concrete blocks, rocks, or bricks. The chemicals used in treated lumber are toxic. Therefore, sawing or drilling the lumber to make the raised plant bed requires protective measures to avoid breathing in dust, etc. Non-treated woods are prone to rotting when in contact with soil. Creosote in the railroad ties is also toxic and the vapors may burn tender plants. In addition, soil expands and contracts when freezing and thawing. Wood can easily bow out, while the masonry is prone to cracking or breaking.
Thus what is needed in the art is a kit for assembling a raised garden bed. The components should be constructed of a polymeric material that is substantially impervious to moisture, thus resistant to rot. The material should be lightweight yet strong enough to withstand the weight of the soil it contains without bowing or bending. The components should be capable of snap-together assembly without undue strength or without the need for special tools. The components should also stack together into a small profile package that can be easily shipped and transported.